Joel talks about his experience of a segregated curriculum in his high school education (2:02)

After the vice principal came and, you know, we met up and we did all these things, it was – it became more apparent that I was getting closer to the Indigenous students and further away from the white students.  All of a sudden I was going to like Indigenous classes.  And, not realising it at the time, but really we were – we were ten, 12 Indigenous kids going to do Indigenous classes, when it should have been everyone.  Do you know what I mean?  Like they – we were segregated, unbeknownst to us at the time, and so we were doing – we were Indigenous kids doing certain Indigenous things, and then the white kids were left wondering, “Well why do these guys have to get out of maths, and get to go on a bus and go to” – and then so instantly their backs’ up.  They’re going, “These guys are just getting handouts”.  And – and that – you know, and that’s where it starts.  And “Oh, you black, oh, you get everything handed to you”.  And – and that – that’s where it started. It should be all inclusive.  I don’t think that you should just pull the Indigenous kids out, and I think that they should make time for one period where everyone has to learn about Indigenous – Indigenous dealings, or – or whatever.  Or if you’ve chosen so, or whatever.  Because otherwise they’re creating a barrier that sort of wasn’t there.  Because I was friends with everyone.  I had, you know, a large group of friends and from Scottish, Irish, English and Swedish, Australian, Indigenous, American.  There was such a – our high school was very multicultural in that sense, like international sort of students.

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